Self-closing concealed hinge



(No Model.)

-A.AQOAT,S1-. SELF CLOSING GONGEALED HINGE.

No. 521,546. Patented June 19, 1894.

LiBETT UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

SELF-CLOSING C ONCEALED HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,546,

dated June 19, 1894.

Applioationfiled February 21, 1 894.v Serial No. 500,972. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED A. OAT, Sr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Closing Concealed Hinges; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a novel form of self-closing hinge for hanging doors, shutters, lids or other similar articles, which improved hinge with its self-closing mechanism will be concealed or invisible and will not project beyond the surface of the article so hung or swung when the door or lid is closed; and is an improvement upon the plain concealed hinge shown,described and claimed in my application for Letters Patent of the United States filed February 24., 1892, Serial No. 422,648. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal elevation E F, G H, of one of myimproved self-closing hinges, having flat or straight leaves ll opened and as it will appear when in use with the door or lid to which it may be attached swung open, and the two leaves connected by the double segmental curved link e, the dotted lines showing parts of the door and frame;

Fig. 2, a longitudinal side elevation of my hinge, Fig. 1, looking from Gr toward A, and open; Fig. 3, a transverse section on line G H of Fig. 1, above the sockets i i and on line B O of Fig. 2; one of my hinges being attached to a door, shutter or lid 6 and frame a, and swung open. Fig. lis a transverse section on same line as in Fig. 3, but with the door,

shutter or lid b and hinge closed; Fig. 5, a vertical longitudinal elevation E F, G H, of one of my self-closing hinges open, and looking from B and D toward A of Fig. 3, being the reverse view of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 a longitudinal elevation of one of my self-closing con-' cealed hinges closed and its double segmental curved link 6 connected with the sockets t' 11 of the leaves Z Z by means of springs f f which by their elasticity will close the door to which the hinge is fitted after it isopened and released; Fig. 7, a detail plan view of one of my double segmental curved links c, with springs f f Fig. 8, a detail longitudinal elevation D B of Fig. 7;. Fig. 9, a plan view of one of my self-closing concealed hinges having curved leaves g g.

In all the figures, except Fig. 1, I have shown the springs ff, f having one end attached to the walls of the socket 41 of my hinge, the other end of said spring 1 being attached to one half part of the double segmental curved link e; the other spring f having one end attached to the walls of the socket t, and the other end attached to the other half part of the double segmental curved link a; the springs f being shown in solid lines in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 8;,and in dotted lines in Figs. 3, 4., 7 and 9.

Similar reference letters indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

I am aware that barrel hinges have been made self-closing by cutting away a portion of each leaf and barrel and placing a coiled spring around their connecting pivot, one end of the spring pressing against one leaf and the other end against the other leaf and by its elasticity tending to press the two leaves apart and to keep thedoor closed when opened and released; the door being hung by having one leaf of the hinge attached to its face or exterior, the other leaf being attached to the face of the door frame or jamb, but this form of hinge with its spring is exposed, not concealed, when the door is closed; no concealed hinge has, to my knowledge, been made self-closing prior to my invention.

My invention consists of two leaves I Z each having one or more sockets 11 41' having abutments s s, of a double segmental curved link e, one end of said link being loosely pivoted at it into the socket of one leaf Z by the pivot is, the other end of the link e being loosely pivoted at h into the socket of the other leaf Z by the pin or pivot 10' or the reverse, as the two ends of the link e may be made similar and interchangeable.

My double segmental curved link is composed of two segments each subtending an angle of about or a little more than a quarter of a circle, and connected together at their intersection, as shown in horizontal section at A c Fig. 3; their respective centers at h and 71. having pivots la la which rotate or oscillate at h h at fixed centers in the adjoining angles of the walls t t" of the sockets of their respective leaves Zandl, as in Fig. 3. I have shown stops at m at the exterior ends of the double segmental curved link, which will necessarily be at or near the face r r when the hinge is closed, as at Fig. 4,bnt when the hinge is opened as at Fig. 3, will be at s s, and act as stops, preventing the door I) from striking the frame or wall a, but they may be dispensed with if not wished for this purpose. The two segments of the double segmental curved link e are made hollow to admit springs ff of which I attach one end of one spring f to one of the walls of the socketst'of my hinge, the other end of the spring being attached to its half part of the double segmental curved link e; the other springf' being similarly attached to one of the walls of the other socket 'i' and to the other half part of the double segmental curved link e.

In the drawings I have shown one end of each springff attached to its respective one of the walls of the two hollow segments of the double segmental curved link e, the springs ff being loosely coiled around the pins k 7.3, the other end of each spring f f being attached to its respective socket t t".

I do not restrict myself to the use of springs ff coiled around the pins 70 It as shown, as any similar mechanical device may be used, and may be attached directly to the two parts to be connected, and may be coiled or curved as preferred.

In use, one leaf 1 of my self-closing concealed hinge with its SOCkGti and spring f, containing one end m of the double segmental curved link (2, are mortiscd into a cavity and fastened by screws n n (or other suitable and well known means) into a frame a, giving space for the movement of the end or stop m of the walls of the socketz', a shoulder or abutment 8 being provided on the leaf Zfor the engagement of said stop in when the door I) is open, the other leaf l, with its socket z" and spring f, containing the other end 172 of the link e, being niortised into a cavityp' in the door or lid 6, or the reverse as the two verse, but in this case the two leaves will not be interchangeable, although the entire hinge may be reversed end for end, so that the curvature of the leaves will be reversed.

The operation of my hinge is as follows:-

Having the door or lid 1) closed, it will appear with the frame a in horizontal section as in Fig. 4., with the extreme ends on m of the double segmental curved link at r r, and in rear elevation as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, the link e Figs. 7 and 8. By drawing or opening the door 11 toward r the double segmental curved link 6 will oscillate or partly rotate on its two centers or pivots 7t at h h in the angles of the respective sockets in the leaves Z Z until the door is opened to its fullest extent, when the ends 171 m will have moved to es, the link e appearing as c Fig. l in vertical longitudinal elevation; and at Fig. 2 in side elevation looking Opening the door and hinge as described will tighten and distort the springs ff by drawing their ends farther apart as the relative positions of the parted i and the segments of e are changed, and leased the springs ff by their elasticity will have a tendency to resume their original positions drawing back with them the parts to which they are attached, thus making the hinge self-closing, closing the hinge and door or shutter to which it is attached.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a concealed hinge the combination of two leaves each segmental curved link pivoted therein at their respective centers, with springs attached to each half of said link, the other ends of said springs being each attached to its respective socket and leaf as and for the purposes shown IOC and described.

In testimony whereof Ialfix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED A. OAT, SR.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR (J. SNYDER, ANNA W. SNYDER.

being shown in detail in ya from G toward II of Figs. 1 and 3.

when the door is rethe having a socket, of a double 

